Barometric draft regulator



Dec. 31, 1957' E. A. FIELD 2,813,216

BAROMETRIC DRAFT REGULATOR Filed Oct. 11. 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

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BAROMETRIC DRAFT REGULATOR Filed Oct. 11, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

fowam Wfe/d i J ATToR/v'Er United States Patent BARGMETRIC DRAFT REGULATOR Edward A. Field, Mendota, Ill.; Amy Field and City National Bani: and Trust Company of Chicago, executors of the will of said Edward A. Field, deceased Application Gctober 11, 1954, Serial No. 461,375

6 Claims. (Cl. 236-45) This invention relates to barometric draft regulators adapted for use in both vertical and horizontal fiues.

The main objects of this invention are:

First, to provide a draft regulator or control which is adapted for and readily adjusted for use with a horizontal and a vertical flue and provides accurate draft control in either installation.

Second, to provide a draft control having these advantages which includes a torque Weighted gate in which the turning torque on the gate may be easily adjusted to adapt the control for the draft conditions of the particular installation.

Third, to provide a structure having these advantages which is economical in its parts and in the assembly thereof and may be quickly installed and adjusted.

Objects relating to details and economies of the invention will appear from the description to follow. The invention is defined and pointed out in the claims.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is an elevational view illustrating a draft regulator of my invention as installed in a horizontal flue.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view illustrating the draft regulator of my invention as installed in a vertical flue.

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view with parts broken awayto show certain details.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on a line corresponding to line l-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view with the gate shown in closed position by dotted lines and the torque weight in one position of adjustment.

.Fig. 6 is a side elevational view with the gate in partially open position.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary side elevational view illustrating another adjustment of the torque weight.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a modification of my draft regulator with the gate shown in a position resulting from a back draft.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view in section on a line corresponding to line 9-9 of Fig. 8.

In the accompanying drawing 1 represents a heating unit, 2 a chimney or stack and 3 a connecting flue disposed in horizontal position. 4 represents a vertical flue associated with the heating unit 1. It will be understood that the terms vertical and horizontal as used herein are relative terms and not intended to mean absolute horizontal or vertical positions as flues are perhaps rarely in absolute vertical or horizontal positions and are commonly variably positioned between the vertical and horizontal. However, they may be generally classed as being either vertical or horizontal and therefore I have used those terms for purpose of description.

The draft control or regulator of my invention comprises a housing 5 which is generally cylindrical in form and is desirably formed of a strip of sheet stock of suitable gauge rolled into cylindrical form, one end of the strip having tongues s lapped upon and secured to the other end by rivets 28. The flange 7 and the'reinforcing ice beading 8 are formed after the strip forming the housing has been curved to cylindrical form and its ends connected. The flange and beading constitute reinforcing means permitting the use of relatively light gauge stock. The housing 5 is designed to have telescoping engagement with the flue connecting boot 9.

The gate it is generally circular being slightly flattened on its side edges ii to permit swinging within the housing on the pivot 12 which in the embodiment illustrated is disposed above the center of the gate.

The generally V-shaped plate like hearing members 13 for the pivots 12 have notches 14 in their ends engageable with the edges of openings 15 formed in the housing side walls to receive the bearing members. This permits some lateral tilting of the bearing members so that they align themselves with the gate pivots. These bearing parts are substantially those of my Patent 2,680,564, issued lune 8, 1954.

The gate is provided with a balancing weight designated generally by the numeral 30 and comprises a plurality of disc like members 16 carried by the rearwardly projecting threaded stud or screw 17. The purpose of this is to balance the gate on its pivot prior to the attachment of the torque weight thereo.

One of the bearing pivots 12 is provided with an extension 18 on which the torque arm 19 is eccentrically mounted. The arm 19 consists of two flanged sector members 19A secured back to back and connected to the pivot bar 12 to depend therebelow as shown in Figs. 3, 4

and 5 when the gate 10 is closed.

The torque weight 20 is supported by the flexible hanger 21 which may be connected to the torque arm by means of the pin 22, as is shown in Figs. 5 and 6 to depend at the side thereof and positioned to be engagcd by the flange like pick up 23 as the gate swings inwardly. The flexible hanger 21 may be engaged with the supporting pin 22 as is shown in Fig. 7 in which case it is disposed between the divergent peripheral flanges 24 of the torquearm in which position the weight applies a substantially greater torque to the gate as the gate moves from its normal closed position to its fully open position.

The gate is provided with a stop 31 which coacts with the stop 32 on the housing (see Fig. 3) to limit the out swinging of the gate to the position shown in Fig. 5.

The eccentrically mounted weight 25 provides supplemental torque and is adjustable to provide more accurate control between the two adjustments of the torque weight 2%) described. The suspending means for the weight 20 is disposed as illustrated in Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive when the gate is installed in a horizontal flue.

When the control is installed in a vertical flue the suspending cable is as stated engaged with the torque arm between the flanges 24 thereof and thus provides the greater torque required, see Fig. 7. The adjustable torque weight 25 is desirably formed of a plurality of disc-like sections and in addition to their being eccentrically mounted the number of sections may be varied and thus add to the adjustable feature.

The embodiment of my invention shown in Figs. 8

and 9 is substantially that described with a weight sustaining hanger 26 depending from the bracket 27 to' The embodiment of my invention illustrated is very, simple and economical to produce and at the same time 7 is highly efiicient and readily adapted for either a horizontal flue or vertical flue and while the regulators of this invention may be very economically produced and are well adapted for domestic and relatively small installations where low cost is a factor it is also adapted for larger, or what is commonly designated commercial importance than in the small or domestic installations.

The forming of the housing of a strip of metal as distinguished from forming by drawing enables the forming of the housing of any desired length. The flange 7 thereof and head 8 may be as stated formed after the strip is rolled into cylindrical form and its ears 6 formed on one end of the strip overlapped upon and secured to the other end as by means of the rivets 28.

I have illustrated and described my invention in a highly practical embodiment thereof, I have not attempted to describe other adaptations or embodiments as it is believed this disclosure will enable those skilled in the art tov embody or adapt my invention as may be desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a draft regulator adapted for alternative mounting in vertically and horizontally extending fines and including a gate pivotally mounted in a tubular housing on gate to variable torque comprising an extension on one end of said angled bar, a torque arm of sector members secured back to back and fastened transversely to said extension in downwardly extending relation in the closed position of said gate, said members having oppositely turned curvilinear flanges thereon disposed in radially spaced relation to said pivot bar and extending oppositely and axially of the pivot bar, a second flange on one of said members disposed radially inwardly from said ourvilinear flanges and curving radially outwardly from said bar and engaging the pivot flange thereof at the inner ends of the members, said curvilinear flanges on said members defining an arcuate channel at a greater radius from said bar than said second flange, a pin passed removably through one end of said curvilinear flanges, and a counter Weight suspended on a flexible support member selectively engageable with said pin between said curvilinear flanges to lie in said channel or alongside one of said curvilinear flanges to depend into contact with said second flange.

2. In a draft regulator adapted for alternative mounting in vertically and horizontally extending fines and including a gate pivotally mounted in a tubular housing on a horizontal pivot bar, said gate being otf center with respect to said pivot bar and counterbalanced to closed position, means for subjecting said gate to variable torque comprising an extension on one end of said bar, a torque arm of sector members secured back to back and fastened transversely to said extension in downwardly extending relation in the closed position of said gate, said members having oppositely turned curvilinear flanges thereon disposed in radially spaced relation to said pivot bar and extending oppositely and axially of the pivot bar, a second flange on one of said members disposed radially inwardly from said curvilinear flanges and curving radially outwardly from said bar, said curvilinear flanges on said members defining an arcuate channel at a greater radius from said bar than said second flange, a pin passed removably through one end of said curvilinear flanges, and a counter weight suspended on a flexible support member selectively engageable with said pin between said curvilinear flanges to lie in said channel or alongside one of said curvilinear flanges to depend into contact with said second flange.

3. A draft regulator comprising a housing adapted to be connected in horizontally extending position alternatively to a vertically or horizontally extending flue, a gate pivotally mounted in said housing on a horizontal pivot disposed off center with respect to the gate, a torque arm secured transversely to one end of the pivot of the gateexteriorly of said housing and having a portion extending horizontally and radially with respect to the pivot when the gate is closed with a further portion depending below the horizontal portion, a connection at the radially outer end of said horizontally extending portion, means forming a cable supporting flange extending arcuately downwardly from said connection and concavely about said pivot, means forming projection extending axially of said pivot from said further portion of said arm and located below said pivot and said connection in the closed position of said gate and at a greater radial distance from said pivot than said connection, a flexible cable alternatively connectable to said connection to hang in the plane of said flange or alongside said arm in the path of said projection as said projection rotates with said arm, a counter balance weight on the lower end of said cable, and adjustable Weight means on said gate statically balancing said gate and said counter balance weight in the closed position of the gate.

4. A draft regulator comprising a. housing adapted to be connected in horizontally extending )osition alternatively to a vertically or horizontally extending flue, a gate pivotally mounted in said housing on a horizontal pivot disposed off center with respect to the gate, a torque arm secured transversely to the pivot of the gate and having a portion extending horizontally and radially with respect to the pivot when the gate is closed with a further portion depending below the horizontal portion, a connection at the radially outer end of said horizontally extending portion, means forming a cable supporting flange extending arcuately downwardly from said connection and concavely about said pivot, means forming projection extending axially of said pivot from said further portion of said arm and located below said pivot and said connection in the closed position of said gate and at a greater radial distance from said pivot than said connection, a flexible cable alternatively connectable to said connection to hang in the plane of said flange or alongside said arm in the path of said projection as said projection rotates with said arm, a counter balance weight on the lower end of said cable, and weight means on said gate statically balancing said gate and said counter balance weight in the closed position of the gate.

5. A draft regulator comprising a housing adapted to be selectively connected to a vertically or to a horizontally extending flue, a gate pivotally mounted in said housing on a horizontal pivot disposed oif center with respect to the gate, a torque arm secured to the gate transversely'of the pivot axis thereof and located externally of the housing, a pivot on said arm located eccentrically from said pivot axis, a counter weight pendently suspended from said pivot to hang vertically from the arm in the closed position of the gate in said housing, means projecting axially with respect to the pivot axis of the gate from said arm and selectively engageable with the pendent'support of said weight at points spaced at diiferent radial distances from the pivot axis of the gate and at different distances from the point of pendent suspension of said counter weight from said arm whereby the efiective torque moment arm of said weight with respect to said gate changes to selectively difierent lengths at selectively different anglm of rotation of said gate from its closed position, and a balance weight on said gate balancing the gate and the pendent support of the counter weight.

6. A draft regulator comprising a housing adapted to be selectively connected to a vertically or to a horizontally extending flue, a gate pivotally mounted in said housing on a horizontal pivot disposed off center with respect to the gate, a torque arm secured to the gate transversely of the pivot axis thereof and located externally of the housing, a counter Weight pendently suspended from said arm eccentrically from said axis to hang in a vertical line from the arm in the closed position of the gate in said housing, means projecting axially withrespect to the pivot axis of the gate from said arm and selectively engageable with the pendent support of said weight at points spaced at different radial distances from the pivot axis of the 5 gate and at different distances from the point of pendent References Cited in the file of this patent suspension of said counter weight from said arm whereby UNITED STATES PATENTS the effective torque moment arm of said weight with respect to said gate changes to selectively difierent lengths iggfi gg at selectively different angles of rotation of said gate from 5 2228857 ga Jan 1941 its closed position, and a balance weight on said gate 2650029 Field 1953 balancing the gate and the pendent support of the counter 2:652:200 Field Sept 15, 1953 weight 2,692,640 Field Oct. 26, 1954 

